Real Madrid TV questions the refereeing at Elche: “Without yellow cards, how could there be reds?”

Real Madrid left the Martínez Valero with all three points, but the club’s television channel was far from satisfied with the refereeing in the 3-2 victory over Elche. Real Madrid TV reviewed a number of heavy challenges by the home side and summed up its argument with one question: “If there were no yellow cards, how were red cards supposed to arrive?”

The main focus was an incident involving Abiel Osorio and Dean Huijsen. The Elche forward made contact with the defender around the face with his arm, but referee Jesús Gil Manzano did not show a card and VAR did not change the decision. The footage prompted widespread debate after the match, although no official refereeing body has declared that the incident should have resulted in a red card.

REAL MADRID TV QUESTIONS THE THRESHOLD

The club channel’s criticism was not limited to one challenge. Its analysis argued that several fouls by Elche should at least have produced bookings. If the initial yellow cards were never shown, it followed that repeated offences could not eventually lead to dismissals.

Elche’s official match centre recorded 21 fouls by the home side and four yellow cards for its players. Two of those bookings were shown in stoppage time, after Carlos Espí had scored the winning goal.

That remains Real Madrid TV’s interpretation rather than an official ruling from La Liga or Spain’s refereeing authorities. The incident itself, however, was also highlighted by the Spanish newspaper AS, which noted that Osorio’s action on Huijsen went unpunished on the field, while VAR did not change the decision.

MADRID RESPONDED ON THE PITCH

The controversy does not alter the result. Real Madrid built a 2-0 lead through a Matías Dituro own goal and a finish from Mbappé, only to lose control after the interval. Osorio and Fer Niño brought Elche level and threatened to complete a dramatic comeback.

Carlos Espí delivered the decisive response in stoppage time. The substitute converted Mbappé’s pass to secure a 3-2 victory for José Mourinho’s side. Madrid did not need a refereeing decision to rescue the points, but the club channel still considered the handling of Elche’s physical challenges worthy of a separate post-match examination.

THE WIN DID NOT END THE DEBATE

Real Madrid TV has a long record of closely scrutinising refereeing performances involving the first team. On this occasion, the complaint was less about one decision changing the score and more about how high the disciplinary threshold appeared to be.

Madrid ultimately settled the match themselves with a clinical late move. The unanswered question is how the same challenges would have been viewed had one of them influenced the final result before Espí’s winner removed that possibility.